Great Graphic: Racial Consequences of Stand-Your-Ground Laws

Many people are shocked at the jury's finding in the Zimmerman case. In the context of stand-your-ground laws (SYG), they ought not be. This Great Graphic from the PBS shows why. Twenty-nine US states have passed SYG laws that allow the use of force in the face of a perceived threat. Homicides in those states are judged justifiable at nearly twice the pace as the states that do not have such laws. SYG laws give juries more latitude in considering for the defendant. The benefit of the doubt as it were is more likely to be given to some defendants over others. A white person who kills a black person is considerably more likely to be found justified than a white person killing another white person, which is the basis of evaluation for the chart here. In states that do not have SYG laws, a white killing a black is 250% more likely to be found justified. In states with stand-your-ground laws, they are 350% more likely to be judged justified. The firmness of the conclusions, however, have to be tempered, but the fact that the data here does not integrate circumstances, such as whether the homicide was in reaction to another crime, such as a home invasion, or on the street. In addition, there is some issue over sample size, as the FBI records, which the chart is drawn on, has relatively few incidents of whites shooting blacks.